


Burning Love 2: Flames of Desire

by Mystic_Diamond



Category: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Death in the Name of Love, Demonic Possession, F/M, Human Sacrifice, Interspecies Relationship(s), Occult, Violence, Yandere Heroine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-06-01 22:32:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6539116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Diamond/pseuds/Mystic_Diamond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons aren't supposed to love humans; they only capture their souls, nothing more. But when Sakura, a student of Akademi High, stumbles into the demon realm by accident and steals the heart of the Flame Demon, more than just the fires of their love are stirred. One day, Sakura finds her beloved losing his life and finds the reason being is because of her. But nothing is going to stop her from saving him, even if it means shedding a little blood in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

I love my senpai more than anything.

No, of course I’m not talking about Taro Yamada. Honestly, I don’t see what all the other girls see in him. Sure, he’s kind of mysterious but other than that, he’s got to be the most generic boy in this school.

Well honestly, he might be the most normal boy in school, with the weird boys in the Occult Club, the gung-ho athletes in the Martial Arts Club, and the just plain boring guys who are loved and favored by the teachers (who I think are secretly perverted).

No, my senpai is much hotter than him.

Maybe it’s because he actually has a flame for a face.

I still remember how we first met. I was cleaning up after school (after all the other students ditched) and stumbled into the Occult Club, where there was this strange knife on the floor. I always knew Oka Ruto and her friends were crazy, but I didn’t think they were crazy enough to bring in a weapon.

Strangest of all, there was fresh blood on one side of it.

I didn’t stop to question whose blood was on the knife (or who the one who wielded it was). I just wanted to get my own fingerprints off of it. A teacher might catch me with it, or worse, someone like Haruto Yuto and his friends, who run and tattle immediately.

I could be expelled for owning a weapon (and this knife wasn’t even mine!).

So what was I to do?

I saw the skull on the table, surrounded by candles—I don’t know how this club manages not to burn down—and not thinking about it, I just stuck the weapon in there, thinking   
everyone would believe it was just decoration.

Then, I just disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

I was just falling through nothingness until I ended up in a dark and empty space, inside of a circle of white light. Surrounding me were three demons.

One of them resembled Sakyu Basu from school—but that has to be a coincidence right?—and she was gray all over, including her eyes, which were just empty black pits. She had bat-like wings sprouting out of her back, along with a barbed tail. She would have been naked if it wasn’t for the tight lace that clung to her body.

Another demon was particularly frightening—simply for the fact that he lacked arms and eyes and his neck was stretched out indefinitely. His skin was chalky white and he was completely naked. I’d rather not think about what happened to his body . . . and all of his teeth.

Only one demon really caught my eye; and that was my senpai, my Flame Demon.

He was dressed like all the other boys in my school; except for that he lacked a head and instead an inferno of flames roared from where his neck should be. From his gloved hands blazed about two white-hot flames. And from the moment I saw him, I knew he was going to be mine.

At first, he was annoyed with me and found me unworthy of his time. But I was so persistent with letting out my interest in him that we made a deal: he will go on a date with me and if he remains uninterested by the end of the date, I’ll give him my soul.

We went to a lovely beach and I got him to open up to me. He told me of his tragic past and how he became the person I saw now. He told me of his life in the demon realm and spoke of the two other demons I saw, although he didn’t know that much about them.

But I didn’t care about that; all I cared about was him.

The Flame Demon may be a bit ahem, hot-headed, but he was the most fascinating person I have ever met. No one has ever made me feel this way before. I yearned for him the moment I laid eyes on him. Somehow, in the stretch of a single day, he has become everything to me.

And luckily—thankfully, he had returned the feelings.

He wanted to spend every waking moment with me. I couldn’t do that though, with school and my family and all the other things that become less important whenever I’m around him. But we ended the date with a steamy make-out session and a promise for me to return to the demon realm.

The exit from the demon realm was a glowing white circle and with another cloud of purple smoke, I was back in the Occult Club.

With how long I was in the demon realm, I expected for it to be nightfall. I even panicked thinking I was locked in the school! But absolutely no time passed when I returned. It was like I dreamed the whole thing.

But the feeling I had inside my chest when I met Flame Demon still remained. This had to be a sign. I couldn’t have imagined the whole thing. From then on, I took back everything I said about the Occult Club and kept where I went a secret.

Something told me if anyone else knew about this, I would definitely be judged for having a demon boyfriend.

Then I realized the knife that took me to meet my soul mate was still inserted into the skull. 

There was no way I was letting anyone take that away from me. So I took the knife with me and smuggled it out of school. Surely the Occult Club wouldn’t miss it. Besides, I wasn’t going to let a teacher discover a knife stained with blood. Then it’ll definitely be the end of my new romance.

I wasn’t sure if I can keep doing this forever or if the knife will always work as long as I don’t wash the blood off of it. But none of that matters now.

I finally have the love I’ve been craving for a lifetime.

I wasn’t going to let something like possibly being arrested for wielding a bloody knife stop me from seeing my senpai.

This will work.

It has to.

At least that’s what I thought until one faithful day . . .


	2. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's happiness is suddenly cut short by some news.

I’m forced to keep the strange knife with me at all times. Imagine the questions I’ll be asked if someone sees me with it. What they think I hurt somebody? What if they think I killed somebody? I would be arrested immediately.

Going to prison before even graduating high school? It was something that made me shudder just thinking about it.

I don’t know anything about searching for fingerprints so I can’t exactly pinpoint who touched the knife before I did. Neither do I know anything about blood types so I can’t pinpoint whose blood was stained on it either. 

My imagination goes wild for a minute, thinking that if the knife belonged to the Occult Club, then it had to be one of them who used it beforehand. It was, after all, left on the floor in their room.

No one really notices the students who are in the Occult Club, and the only one whose name I can remember is Oka Ruto, the founder and president. Thinking that she, of all people, actually hurt someone was practically preposterous.

Now that I think about it, I doubt any of them has ever hurt a fly. Sure, they were deeply fascinated with witchcraft and demonic things, but them performing a blood sacrifice seems to be going a bit far. They all were cowards compared to everyone else in school, ironic considering that they insist on delving into such horrific things.

Perhaps all they wanted was something that could protect them from the actual world surrounding them. It was almost pitiful.

They weren’t the ones who put the blood on the knife. I don’t think any of them are that desperate to prove demons are real, to end up bringing weapons to school and risk expulsion by harming someone.

But whoever once wielded this knife, can I really think badly of them? I mean, look at what I’m doing with it. And besides, they had even leaded me to what could be the greatest event of my life: falling in love. I’m keeping what could possibly be murder evidence just for the sake of seeing the Flame Demon again.

But I’m not a murderer. 

Everything I’m doing, it’s only for the sake of love. Only for the person I admire most, who feels the same way back. And I’m not even harming anybody in the process. If I did, then I would be committing a crime. 

But I’m not.

I’m only keeping what is the only key to seeing my beloved. I won’t have to hurt anyone . . . only if they get in my way will I have to make a choice.

The Occult Club comes in here at 7:15 sharp, so I stuff my outdoor shoes into my locker quickly in order to get there before they do.

After shoving the door open and hurrying pass the ever-burning candles (maybe there is magic here after all, how do those things stay lit 24/7?) I throw off my bag to pull out my secret key to the demon realm: the precious knife.

As much as I wanted to wash the blood off of it to not look suspicious, the dark red stains still remained, halfway to completely crusting up. I didn’t know much about occultism, but something told me that the blood still needed to be there for the ritual to work.

I carefully slid the knife into the little skull on the table, making sure to hide the blood like last time and felt the world around me cloak itself in purple smoke.

Traveling into the demon realm the second time seemed to take away the frightening feeling of dissolving into the air and then re-materializing in a dark and shady dimension. 

The realm was still the same as before, with all the same demons before me. 

But like last time, I couldn’t care less about the other two. I immediately ran for the Flame Demon and chose to commune.

“Flame Demon,” I say breathlessly. “It’s me, Sakura.”

The warm feelings of infatuation washes over me once again, heating me up inside like a glowing light. Or maybe it’s the aura of intense heat that surrounded my beloved. But all that anticipation last night, wondering and waiting to see him again all felt worth it to gaze into his . . . um, flames.

“Sakura,” he responds hesitantly. “I need to tell you something.”

As much as I love hearing my name being spoken from his sexy voice, something felt off. I couldn’t see his eyes through the white glow of his fire but I could tell he was avoiding my gaze. Even a few beads of sweat sprouted peculiarly upon his face. 

“You can tell me anything,” I say hurriedly. Suddenly, the elation I felt before seemed to swell into anxiety. 

“Sakura,” he says gently, placing my clammy hands into his gloved hands, letting me feel his heat radiate from him like a light bulb. “I cannot see you anymore.”

All happiness in me dissipates like smoke.

I release his grasp in panic. “W-hat, what does that mean?” I stutter. “Is it because I’m mortal? Is that the problem?”

I only prayed it was because he feared me dying and vanishing from his life. If it was something personal . . . I don’t think I could ever live with myself.

“Me being with you has raised some complications,” Flame Demon replies hastily. “Someone else is a little upset about it . . .”

“What do you mean someone else?” I interrupt him, gritting my teeth.

“N-not like that!” he cries. “You’re the only one I have gotten close to! It’s just that there’s a problem involving . . . the laws of demon-hood.” 

“There are laws?” I ask, dubious.

“Certain rules, ones as old as time itself, dictate that those of the demon realm cannot commune with humans who don’t wish to bargain their souls,” Flame Demon explains to me.

“But I have bargained my soul,” I interject.

“People who have won back their souls aren’t supposed to return to the demon realm,” Flame Demon replies. “And if I’m caught with you again—“

He suddenly stops and refuses to look at me.

“What happens?” I egg him on. “You can tell me.”

Cringing, he backs away from me. “I cannot be here with you anymore.”

Furious, I charge forward in an attempt to grab his hands and reason with him, but before I can, he suddenly vanishes into thin air, leaving in the dark and empty void, completely alone.

Tears began to sting at my eyes. He abandoned me. He actually abandoned me. The warm feelings I had around him that I thought were everlasting turn into bitter misery.

Running, I head for the glowing white ring of light and transported back home. In haste, I slide the knife out of the skull and stuff it into my bag. When I darted for the door, a bunch of Occult Club members already stood in the threshold, baffled as I push them away from me, still staring at me with their one-eyed gaze as I sped away from the clubroom.

I didn’t care about that.

All I felt was the dark, burning sensation inside me, filling me with a queasy sort of emotion, like all I could do was cry.


	3. Making a Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sakura tries to re-enter the demon realm, the ritual stops working.

Classes droned by in a complete blur. I just couldn’t believe it really happened. My dear Flame Demon, the one who wanted to stay by my side until the end of time, actually broke up with me. And now, I don’t even have the knowledge on where he is right now.

He sounded really stressed out when I talked to him—scared, even. But what could he be so afraid of? And what was he talking about when he mentioned “laws of demon-hood?” 

That doesn’t even sound real. Could he actually be lying to me?

He couldn’t be. I refuse to believe it, not out of lovesickness or delusion, but what personal reasons could he have for not wanting to be with me?

I mean, as if there are any other mortals he’s involved with? He said it so himself; I was the first one to steal his heart. I start thinking about the other demons in the realm, trying my best to eliminate other options.

Somehow, my thoughts wander to the Lust Demon.

I picture her barely-clothed curvaceous body, the wings protruding from her back, and her blank eyes, filled with hypnotizing emptiness. An unidentifiable feeling warms my chest that makes my teeth grit and breath seize. Somehow, my fists clench without any voluntary action of my own.

Biting my lip to stifle my laughter, I shake my head thinking about how ridiculous I was being. Flame Demon told me he didn’t know anything about her and I’ve never seen her near him. Is irrational jealousy a normal symptom of a broken heart?

During lunch, I usually go into the cafeteria with all the other students, but now I wasn’t in the mood to be with company. So instead, I decided to eat by myself on the rooftop. I didn’t want anyone to bother me and ask if something was wrong. As if they could ever understand. 

They’d probably think I was insane if I told the truth.

No matter how hard I tried, whenever I closed my eyes, Flame Demon’s flickering face materializes in my imagination. I didn’t know for very long but now he’s consuming my every thought.

The ornate blade of the ritual knife stuck out of my bag. I still didn’t want to get rid of it. Even if it seems futile to go into the demon realm again, I wanted to hold onto the one thing I kept from my brief romance with Flame Demon.

I hated myself for mourning a relationship that didn’t even last for more than one date. Maybe things were going a bit too fast. I didn’t even know if I would be able to stay with for an eternity. It’s not like I could always have access to the Occult Club and the knife. Someone could figure it out too soon or the club could shut down. Not to mention that I’ll be leaving school in two years.

But Flame Demon made things different.

He actually wanted forever. He wanted to hold onto my embrace until the end of time. He took things very seriously, unlike most boys my age. Who knows if I’ll ever find that again?

I didn’t want to start searching for someone else. No one could ever compare to Flame Demon. No one could ever possess his voice, his history, his warm heart. After meeting an actual demon, it’s like human boys don’t even matter anymore. Girls would beg to be me right now. 

Well, girls won’t beg to be heartbroken like me.

Flame Demon left me without any explanation. What the hell was he talking about when he said “someone else was upset about it?” If not another girl, then who could it be?

Who else could want to get in between us? And what reason would they have to break us apart? Who could be that cruel?

Flame Demon sounded so scared back then. What could even scare a demon who can control fire? It had to be another demon, but whom? Who could be more powerful than him to scare him?

Curiosity started to burn in my chest. Unanswered questions clouded around me. Who got in between me and my dear senpai? Why did they do such a thing? What can I do to get rid of them?

Meeting Flame Demon was the best thing to ever happen to me. What kind of monster—um, demon—would want to take that away from me? What did I do? What did Flame Demon do? How can I ever leave this matter alone without answers?

After more classes, I decided to take matters into my own hands. It didn’t matter if Flame Demon didn’t want to see me again. As if he could just abandon me then and there without an explanation. And if there was someone in between us, then I have to know who it is. A broken heart didn’t seem to be my biggest priority right now. I just have to know what Flame Demon meant by “someone else.”

Sneaking into the Occult Club wasn’t a problem. The candles were still flickering in the circle and I had to finish my business with the Flame Demon before leaving school. Right now, everyone is busy with cleanup time so that’ll keep people from coming in and questioning what I was doing.

I took the precious knife out my bag again. The blood stains were now leaking into my purse and ruining my books. But I didn’t have time to worry about that. The blood was no longer moist but I still inserted it into the skull and waited for the magic to happen.

But absolutely nothing happened.


	4. Bloody Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura does the unthinkable for her senpai.

I don’t understand this. This can’t be happening. Something has to be wrong. It can’t just—stop working all of a sudden.

Desperately, I slid it out of the skull and inserted it again more precisely: nothing.

I shoved it in a little harder, then a bit gentler: still nothing.

I inserted the blade inside of the mouth: NOTHING.

How could I still be in my own dimension? It worked the last two times. What made this time different? I hastily grabbed the knife again and observed it on a closer scale.

It’s not broken or anything, barely scratched at all. Could there be a little dark magic battery inside and now it’s dead? That sounded so stupid that I couldn’t even comprehend it. I saw the magic work before my very own eyes. What made it stop all of a sudden?

Even though it disgusted me at a whole new level, I took a closer inspection of the blood that still stained the blade. Most of it had dripped off—judging from the insides of my bag, which was now colored crimson—but what remained was now crusted over and plastered on the knife.

Is this a sign . . . that the knife needs another sacrifice?

It still made me queasy inside. It needed more blood? How hungry do these demons get? I looked at the skull resting on the table, which now seemed to look at me with desperate eyes (hopefully, it was my imagination).

Earlier, I thought there was nothing I wouldn’t do for my Flame Demon, but now it seemed hesitant. Committing murder was a long stretch, not to mention it would land me in jail and twist the morals I’ve learned over the past sixteen years of my life. It seemed so . . . vile and desperate.

“Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan!” a high-pitched, obnoxious voice interrupted my thoughts.

Midori Gurin: the most annoying girl in homeroom. Sure, she looked harmless enough but she could talk the hell out of anyone in the matter of a few minutes. She interrupted every class with the most stupid questions and delayed us from getting to next period. Luckily, she often spent lunchtime and free periods on the rooftop so she wasn’t always around. But still, I have to go to class with her.

Somehow, she wasn’t scared that I was holding a bloody knife in my hand. I wasn’t sure if that was out of sheer courage or sheer stupidity—knowing her, it was probably the latter.

“What are you doing with a knife? That’s really dangerous,” she said. Most people would be nervous, but with her voice, it sounded much more oblivious. A stupid smile was still   
plastered on her face as she pointed out the weapon.

“Uh,” I stuttered, my fingers trembling on the handle. I should’ve dropped it, but it was like it was glued to my hand. It wasn’t like I needed a believable excuse; Midori was dumb enough to believe anything, but she might talk about it later on and people would start avoiding me. “I was just cleaning up the room and I found something dangerous. I’m taking it to a teacher.”

“Oh, that makes sense . . . I guess,” Midori replied, and a genuine smile warms her face. She turns around to leave and a breath of relief escapes my chest . . . until I hear her voice chirp again. “Wait . . . is that blood on that knife?”

I stop breathing. I didn’t expect her to notice that. She’s now staring at me with wide eyes, trembling slightly in the knees. “Did—did you, of please don’t tell me you hurt someone!”

“I didn’t!” I cried out, all too loudly. My mouth snaps shut instantly. After a moment, I manage to mumble out, “Please don’t tell anyone.”

Midori was silent for a moment. Then she pointed a crooked finger at me and screamed at the top of her lungs, “You killed some—“

She didn’t get to finish her words. It all just happened in a blur. I raised my hand in panic, desperate to shut her mouth, but then I forget the knife was still clutched in between my fingers. The blade grazes Midori’s cheek and then slices down her throat in a jagged line. Blood spurts out from her wounds and she lets out an ear-piercing shriek. I drop the knife once I realized the damage . . . but it was too late. Midori collapsed onto the Occult Club floor and lets out her last dying breath as her blood pools around her body.   
Her high-pitched scream was heard throughout the school. Clamoring voices filled the air as I stared at Midori’s lifeless body.

“I heard someone scream!”

“Who was that?”

“I think it came from the Occult Club!”

Scattered footsteps follow. My limbs were shaking, my vision felt blurry, and I felt like throwing up as Midori’s blood pooled around my shoes and stained them. 

I killed Midori Gurin. I’m a murderer. I’m a criminal. I’m a monster.

The knife was still sitting beside Midori’s corpse, beckoning me with its shiny blade happily fed with fresh blood. The rushed footsteps seemed to come closer and closer: witnesses. I could be arrested. Everything seemed to be whirring by in slow motion as a gazed at the weapon again.

Quickly, I scooped up the knife and inserted it into the skull, just as I heard the doors swing open.


	5. More Questions to Ask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura communes with the other available demons in the Demon Realm.

I didn’t know what I was waiting for.

I expected for someone to apprehend me, or maybe hear someone scream and call the police. But when the doors swung open, it felt like everything went silent. The floor vanished from underneath my feet. My skin was wrapped tightly in chilling cold air, like ghastly hands trying to strangle me. I couldn’t breathe or speak or think.

All I could do was to wait.

Midori’s shriek was still echoing in my mind. The moment kept replaying over and over in my head. I could still see the green-haired girl fall to her knees, her eyes widening and freezing in place, turning into glass. I could still see her blood pool across the ground, oozing from the jagged wound that cut deep into her throat.  
I felt her fresh blood staining my fingers and clothes: proof that I was a criminal.

How I could possibly defend myself? No one would believe me if I said it was an accident. I only raised my hand in panic. I forgot I was still holding a knife. I was only trying to keep her quiet!

That didn’t come out correctly, didn’t it?

I was afraid to open my eyes. There could be police officers surrounding me right now. This was it; my life is over. I’ll be put in prison, locked away from society, locked away from my Flame Demon.

I was so happy before, now I’m going to be convicted.

But what surrounded me when I opened my eyes were not horrified students, enraged teachers, or police officers. I was in the Demon Realm once again.

The ritual worked: I am scot-free!

That is, only until I leave. I can’t imagine who could be waiting for me on the outside.

I began to run towards where Flame Demon would normally stand, words rushing through my mind. I didn’t know what I could say to him, but I knew I had to be firm with him: that I wasn’t going to leave until I got a proper explanation. 

But where my senpai would be waiting for me was completely empty. He had truly vanished from the spot.

No, this couldn’t be happening!

I waved my hands around, searching though the cold blank air, wondering if demons could become invisible. But still . . . there was nothing.

It was true after all; something would happen if he was seen with me again: but what exactly? But more importantly; who exactly?

Who could be this cruel enough to separate me and my senpai?

I turned and saw the Pain Demon look towards me with his gouged-out eyes and stretched-beyond-compare mouth that lacked teeth. He must know something about what happened. He was a demon too, after all.

He might know something about “the laws of demon-hood.”

Hesitantly, I approached him. A scratchy voice wheezed out of his deformed mouth, coughing from time to time, barely comprehensible. 

“Was innocent . . . no crime,” he coughed.

I remember Flame Demon talking about him, saying that he would only mutter about his last few moments as a human. This must be his backstory.

“Found guilty . . . given punishment,” he wheezed once again. “Arms removed . . . limbs contorted . . .”

I didn’t want to disturb him so I waited until he was done muttering to ask him. And I couldn’t help that I was a bit intrigued about his story.

“Need justice . . . need revenge,” the Pain Demon muttered, his voice rising in apparent anger. Suddenly, I felt scared.

“Descendants . . . must feel . . . what I felt,” were the last words he uttered before I ran away from him.

I didn’t want to be involved with him anymore.

My eyes soon locked with the Lust Demon’s. Her eyes were blank and devoid of color, yet still made me shiver whenever looked deep enough into them. My feet walked towards   
her, almost against my will in a sense. It was like her presence lulled me under a spell.

She giggled once I approached her, speaking with a smooth and elegant voice. “Ara, ara!” she cried, “You’re a cute little thing!”

As strong as my love for Flame Demon was, I couldn’t help but feel pleased when she mentioned I was cute. 

“Do you want to play with me?” she cooed. “Or . . . do you want to become one of us?”

Before I could process my words, I blurted out, “Yes, yes I do!” My cheeks reddened in color but I wanted to get closer to Flame Demon and see what happened. Perhaps she really   
can help me.

She only giggled in response. “I’m afraid it’s too soon for you . . . young one.”

My heart dropped instantly.

“Good things come to those who wait,” she continued. “Just be patient . . . I’ll look forward to the day when we can play together.”

“What do I have to do?” I shrieked before she completely vanished from my sight.

A creepy smile spread across her face before saying, “Perform a couple of tasks for me and perhaps I can be of assistance.”

She disappeared before I can question her again.

Crestfallen, I walk towards the glowing white circle of light that would lead me back home. Suddenly, I imagined the scene that would wait for me once I came back. My clothes were still stained with blood and the weapon was still nestled in my pocket. 

I killed Midori Gurin for nothing. Now I’ll have to play the consequences.


	6. Escaping Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura-chan cleans up the evidence.

I arrived back into the Occult Room, breathless and sweaty and just about prepared for anyone to tackle me to the floor and call the police.

But when my feet hit the floor with a deafening whoosh, there was no one in the room except for me and Midori’s lifeless body sitting on the floor, arms splayed across pools of blood.

However, what I did see was scattered footsteps rush out the door, not noticing me or the weapon in my hand, just fleeing before they could see me teleport back into the room.

Before they rushed out of my line of sight, I could see a long twisted blue pigtail: Saki Miyu.

I frankly didn’t know much about her but I knew she and her friends lacked the guts to try and fight me if they saw what I did. But then again, neither would I if I were faced with a murderer. But she was brave enough to speak up about it. And she had just enough sense to call the police as soon as possible.

Out another door—thankfully not seeing me holding a knife either—was a fleeing boy in distress at what he saw. I could a flash of dark blue hair before he vanished: Ryusei Koki. I could also hear him shriek someone before he ran out of the hall, “I’ve got to tell a teacher!”

That could only mean trouble: the teachers at this school were specially trained in self-defense due to . . . an incident that happened a long time ago. There was no way I could stand up to her either.

“Gotta get to safety,” I heard Saki shriek before she completely vanished. She could tell everyone about what she saw.

I had to get out of here before someone finds out about what I did. I barged out of Occult Room, making sure to in opposite directions than Ryusei and Saki and breathlessly clamored down the stairs. But unfortunately, there were people all around me. I had shoved the knife back into my bag—I still need it, after what I did—but the bloodstains on my clothes were still apparent.

“Is that blood? What happened to you?” I could hear them say before I cut through them. Their eyes bulged in horror and confusion but they nonetheless stayed out of my way. I was able to get out of the school before anyone could catch me, however I saw Ryusei rushing out of his classroom with a worried teacher flocking him, most likely leading her to the murder scene and I saw Saki pull out her phone and dial the police once she was safely inside the Cooking Club.

The police were coming and I couldn’t stop them.

First things first, I had to get rid of any evidence. Immediately, I rushed towards the Shower Room. I quickly discarded my bloody uniform and made my way into the bathhouse. After wiping off the blood off my naked body, I quickly got into my gym uniform and fled.

What to do with the knife? I had to keep it. I needed it to go into the Demon Realm so I can solve this mystery I have with my senpai. But then again, what if the police finds it? They could trace it back to me.

Not if I ran home before the police arrived with the knife still on me.

But what to do with the stack of bloody clothes in hands? Running around the west side of the school, cutting around the Gardening Club, I found the incinerator, protected by concrete walls and surrounded by delinquents, the students who almost never leave the incinerator unless it’s time for class (and they never show up on time either).

Discreetly shoving my ritual knife deeper into my hiding spot, I snuck pass them, but not before I could hear them mutter “loser,” when they caught my eye. I dumped the clothes into the incinerator and activated it, smelling the fire slowly eating away at the evidence.

Once that was taken care of, I needed to get out of the school before anyone could catch me. I ambled my way towards the school entrance, throwing open the school gate and running away from school before the gym teacher could even see me. It was a close one, really. As I found my way back home, hopelessly sweaty and tired after doing the most running I’ve ever done in my life, I couldn’t help but think of what the Lust Demon said before she vanished.

“Perform a couple of tasks for me and perhaps I can be of assistance.”

Does she know what happened to my Flame Demon? Can she lead me to whoever is trying to keep him away from me? What do I have to do to win her favor?

Can I do it without shedding any more blood?

Killing Midori Gurin was one of the worst experiences of my life. Sure, she was annoying and no one enjoyed her presence except for Inkyu Basu who shared her hopeless cluelessness but she was still a person. She still had a family and people who cared about her—whoever they may be, because they certainly don’t go to this school.

When I was younger, I thought that there was nothing more evil than ending someone’s life. I didn’t realize I would grow up and actually commit murder myself.

It was all for Flame Demon, right? Nothing was more important to me than him. I would go to any lengths to keep us together.

But to actually stain my hands with blood seemed to be going a bit far.

* * *

**The police arrive at school.**

**The police discover the corpse of Midori Gurin.**

**The police are unable to locate any murder weapons.**

**The police don’t have enough evidence to perform an arrest.**

**The police investigation ends and students are free to leave.**

**Not present during the search, Sakura-chan waits safely inside her home until she hears about the investigation on the news. She guards the Ritual Knife stained with the blood of Midori Gurin to keep it safe and ponders about what to do next.**


	7. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone begins panicking when there's a mention of a serial killer haunting Akademi High.

I honestly was afraid to go back to school. I know that people would be panicking about Midori. This wasn’t the first time something like this has happened at school and everyone had hoped that Akademi High’s bloody past had all been behind us. But it seems like scandal can never leave the school for long without someone dying for it. 

And now, for once, I’m directly involved with it.

I had gotten away with murder. I felt terrible for everyone who cared for Midori and now will never get to see her again. She had her whole future ahead of her and she could’ve even gotten smarter if she had the chance to live. But my stupid mistake had ended it all.

Still, I had one more clue to where my Flame Demon is. 

He definitely wasn’t in the Demon Realm and from what I can conclude; he might not be coming back. But I have to keep making these blood sacrifices if it means that I could gather some information from the Lust Demon . . . and do whatever she wants me to do in exchange.

After everything I did, I could never go back to living without Flame Demon. If I had end a life to continue my quest, then I’ll keep going at it. Maybe it was just to give Midori’s death a sort of purpose, so I won’t have to feel guilty whenever I see other people grieving about her. But no matter what, I have to see my Flame Demon again, even if it was for the briefest second, just to know if he was okay.

When I entered school that morning, Midori’s death was all anyone could talk about, which was a real shame since beforehand; no one wanted to be around her. But everyone knew as annoying as she was, Midori was a good person. She could be sweet at times and backed off when she realized she was being a nuisance—but then later on forgot and continued to babble. Still, she never did anything wrong.

In the plaza, where everyone hung out before class to gossip, the clusters of students seemed to be slightly closer together, like to prove to whoever the killer may be, they wouldn’t be the next victim because of witnesses.

I wouldn’t attack right on the spot, however. My ritual knife didn’t demand blood right now.

With her friends, Saki chronicled the tale of finding Midori dead on the Occult Club floor. Her friends listened with rapt attention. Yuna Hina trembled when she heard the mention of blood, sidestepping closer and closer towards Mei, who was equally as startled. Koharu was the bravest amongst them and her emerald eyes skirted around the plaza quickly, trying to discern who looked the guiltiest. Everyone wanted to remain closer to one another, to try and hold on to safety if case the murderer was still near. The only who didn’t show a hint of fear was Yui Rio, the red-haired girl, who grinned wickedly when Saki spoke about the pools of blood and gash on Midori’s throat, relishing the tale like it was a fable Saki made up on the spot.

The boys to the right of the fountain gathered into a circle also spoke of Midori’s death. But Ryusei didn’t seem to want to speak about being a witness of the murder. His eyes were blank and his pupils were dilated, and he flinched whenever someone spoke Midori’s name, which was very often. He was absolutely traumatized, which added a slice of guilt inside of me. I couldn’t imagine being in his position, but more than anything; I wished that I could be as clueless as everyone else. Instead, I’m caught in between. 

Taro Yamada, who was sitting on the fountain by himself as always, looked oblivious to the terror around him. I’m not surprised.

The Occult Club was worried as well, but not for their own safety. Instead, they discussed if Midori’s spirit could still be lingering around campus and terrified that someone amidst their school was a murderer. They were definitely curious however, and tried to do research in the various books in their club.

The Martial Arts Club was as normal as normal could be, but they were heavily concerned about everyone’s safety. It looked as if their training was much more rigorous, like if their lives were in danger.

The Photography Club was the most curious about Midori’s death. As I passed their club room, I heard them discussing who could be the culprit of the crime. They were polishing the SAIKOU cameras around their neck urgently, almost like they were weapons.

Dread filled me as I walked by, there was no way I could ever avoid them.

Everyone tried their best to remain as calm as possible, but it was no use. No matter how many times you try to change the subject or try to drift attention elsewhere, there was still an empty seat in the classroom, replaced by an honorary white flower. I’m the only one who knew the truth of what happened. And if it ever gets out, it could mean the end of me.

After classes were over and everyone gathered their outdoor shoes, I headed over to the Occult Club room again. But for once, I wasn’t going to be intruding. People were going   
to be suspicious of me if I kept going into the club without being an official member and this room was crucial to my search for my beloved. I couldn’t have anyone think of me as a potential suspect, especially not the Photography Club.

Standing in the center of the room, surrounded by flickering candles, was Oka Ruto. In every corner of the room was a club member, each of them having something obscuring their right eye, whether it was an eye-patch or thick bangs, their noses stuck in a book filled with blood-red illustrations of demons and ghouls. Perhaps I should be learning more about occultism if I’m going to devote myself to finding Flame Demon.

Oka looked up from the floor when she saw me approach, unclasping her hands from her chest.

“Um . . . hi,” she mumbled, sounding incredibly tired. Now that I’m looking at her straight in the face, I could see black rings lining her eyes. I couldn’t believe it took me this long to realize that she was the only member who possessed a visible right eye, aside from the boy sitting in front of her with the messy hair.

“Uh, are you looking for new members?” I asked.

“You . . . actually . . . want to join?” she said, surprised. I couldn’t exactly blame her.

“Yes,” I said firmly, knowing that there was no going back at this point.

For the first time, Oka smiled a genuine smile. “This is wonderful news,” she said gleefully. “Perhaps the world isn’t such a dark and lonely place after all . . . um; anyways . . . you’re an official member now.”

And maybe for the first time after murdering Midori Gurin, I smiled when I accepted the crescent moon choker and wound it around my neck.


	8. First Ritual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura-chan succeeds in winning the Lust Demon's favor.

When I joined the Occult Club, I assumed that the president would know what she was doing. I mean, Oka Ruto has devoted her life to the supernatural ever since she was a child. And the other members seemed to be the same as well, even though I could never remember their names. They even don on eye-patches and other things to obscure their right eye to fit the mood (except for Oka and the substitute president, which was strange).

But I was so wrong.

During club activities, the entire club puts on these black robes and sits in a circle around the candles to summon a demon. We spend the rest of the day staring into center of the pentagram rug and getting our faces torched by the candles until we are bored and sweaty (and the robes don’t help either). 

The whole time, I wanted to show them the right way to summon a demon, using less-than-morally-right ways that still work. I mean, we have all the right essentials: the knife, the skull, and a whole school full of sacrifices. But Oka seemed to turn a blind eye to all of that.

Poor girl, constantly trying and never succeeding at the one thing she enjoys.

Sometimes, I wonder if she would like it if I showed her the correct way.

But then again, she would immediately connect the dots and realize that I was the one who killed Midori Gurin. So I guess she might have to settle for disappointments for the rest of high school.

I needed blood sacrifices to get into the demon realm and visit the Lust Demon and once I did the math, I knew that one sacrifice equaled two visits at a time. At one point, I wondered if the knife would accept my own blood. If I kept cutting myself with the knife, I would never have to hurt anyone to get to my beloved. But no one possessed that much blood and I bet that I would die from blood loss before the knife would accept the sacrifice.

So other lives it was.

I would have to clean my tracks up though. And I would have to choose my victims carefully. Before, I didn’t care much about the other students in school and I don’t consider myself a social butterfly. But I couldn’t get rid of all the important people in school or panic would raise even higher. And I could tell that some of the people at school were unsatisfied with the police investigation results regarding Midori and wanted to take things into their own hands. It was one thing to fool the police, but could I fool all the students, who I see every day?

I received a task from the Lust Demon when I entered the realm that day.

“I could help you with your love predicament,” she cooed. “Let me tell you a little secret: if you perform special rituals for us, it is likely that you could impress a few more of us demons and more would make themselves visible to you . . . including the one who might be holding you beloved away from you. If I give you a task and you do it well, more demons might find you impressive and wish you grant you power that might come in handy later.”

All I said in return was, “What do I have to do for you?”

She gave me a simple task and said in return that I would be given power, if not only for a short amount of time since demon-hood was not what I desired; it was my beloved. 

During lunch time, Sakyu Basu and Inkyu Basu ate lunch together on the rooftop. Before eating her bento, Sakyu takes off her precious ring that she holds onto for sentimental reasons and continues to eat. I approached the bench quickly and quietly while the two sisters chatted about the rumors that were being spread about them. Looking on the bench, I saw the gold ring that Sakyu wore every day, embedded with three pink gemstones in the shape of a coffin. 

Before she could turn and glance, I snatched the ring off the bench and ran off before she could get the guidance counselor on me. Stealing was an intolerable act at Akademi High and it could a stepping stone into being expelled.

The next step was to go the mythical cherry tree behind the school, the one that boasted the legend that if you confess your feelings underneath it on a Friday, your ideal lover would accept your love. The bark of the tree was already decorated with the initials of every successful couple that was born beneath the tree.

Before, I thought the myth was absolute rubbish, but now that I have witnessed demons and blood sacrifices, I no longer deny stories of the supernatural.

When I stood beneath the delicate branches of the tree, blossoms coating my hair, a voice spoke to me from deep within.

“That . . . ring,” it moaned and it dissipated along with the spring breeze. The voice sounded a lot like the Lust Demon. It was almost like she was within the tree, but she couldn’t. She could never leave the demon realm without a vessel.

As much as my curiosity was peaked, I had to return to the demon realm as promised. I stuffed the ring inside my bag and headed back to the Occult Club.

I took out my trusty knife and stuck it inside the skull, knowing that once this is over, I would need another sacrifice. But I didn’t care; I have gone too deep to start questioning my actions now.

I returned the ring to the Lust Demon, who chuckled in delight when she saw the sparkling ring in my hands.

“You’ve done such a good job,” she cooed as she accepted my offering. “Your beloved would definitely be impressed. Now, my darling, hold still. I owe you a great favor for this, and here is what I offer you for your good deed After all, it’s been a while since I left the demon realm.


	9. Lust and Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura activates the power of the Lust Demon.

I didn’t know what was happening at first.

The Lust Demon gripped onto my shoulders, and suddenly everything began to whirl and shift. My vision become blurry, my arms felt light as air, my ears filled with this strange buzzing sensation that felt like a mild electric current running through my body, not in a harmful way, but in a comforting way. Colors faded away from my vision and everything around me were now cloaked in this strange gray monochrome setting, like a photo filter come to life. But even though color was something I could no longer see, my vision sharpened, like I was now a nocturnal animal. My legs now felt insubstantial and my feet barely seemed to feel solid, more like a collection of dust bound together. I looked down to see my feet hovering a few inches above the floor.

Then horrible searing pain shot through me like an arrow.

Slowly and painfully, webbed bat-like wings sprouted out of my back and flapped accordingly, even though I had no idea how to control them; it seemed like they were flapping on their own. I tried to will the pain down, but I couldn’t help but shriek as another pair of wings, smaller and had no means for flight, grew from the sides of my head. A long gray, whip-like tail grew and hung from my body, revealing a heart-shaped tip on the end.

My pupils dilated until they were just like the Lust Demon’s herself: cold and colorless. She was now within me; bound to my body like I was her vessel. Her spirit evaporated away and took control inside of me. It was strange, yes, but it also felt invigorating in a sense. I now felt powerful beyond my wildest dreams; energy surging through every single bit of me.

Sudden confidence took ahold of me and now I felt more beautiful than ever, like I could have every man if I wanted to. But I didn’t; I only had one true beloved and that was Flame Demon, wherever he may be.

I knew I couldn’t stay like this forever, I knew it was only one step in my mission to find my Flame Demon. But still, I had never felt more elegant before in my life. A voice from within spoke to me, and I knew it was the Lust Demon herself, beckoning me from inside my soul which she was bound to.

_We cannot stay like this for eternity, even though I wish we could. But let us have some fun while we still can._

I didn’t know what a demon could call fun, yet I still obliged. I didn’t have a care in the world; all I wanted was to let myself have everything I could get my hands upon, even though I knew one of them would not be Flame Demon. We headed towards the illuminated white circle and teleported to the mortal world, and I could feel the Lust Demon’s glee as we dissipated. She has not been to the mortal world in a very long time; I couldn’t calculate how long she has been trapped in the demon realm, but it supposedly a very long time, seemed that I couldn’t even comprehend it how much time she has spent waiting for a vessel.

We materialized together in the Occult Club, and my new stark vision took everything from the littlest detail of the room into account. Without a moment to hesitate, the Lust Demon flung opens the doors and explored. I knew that everyone must be wrapping up lunch by now and are about to go back to class. I wanted to warn the Lust Demon, but I was no longer in control of my mouth. Unless the Lust Demon and I were in synch; I was not in possession of my actions. I should be worried, letting a demon have control over me like this, but somehow, I wanted desperately to see what she meant by having fun.

We traveled upstairs to see the cafeteria, where a bunch of the girls and boys gathered to gossip and share lunches. I could try to communicate with the Lust Demon mentally but my curiosity got the best of me. Everyone immediately turned to see me in all of my occultist glory: levitating in the air, possessing wings and a tail, no longer having color in my appearance, and having eyes absolutely devoid of emotion.

The girls eyes’ widened and exchanged frightened glances amongst themselves, like they weren’t sure whether or not they should flee or pull out their cell phones and post this online. The boys immediately took a step back towards the classrooms, ready to take action and scream for help. Everyone was ready to react, but either time has slowed down or they were simply too shocked to move. They were all frozen.

But before they could even open their mouths to scream, their eyes became just as blank as mine and all the sound unleashed from their throats immediately dissipated. The boys took a step forward. The girls shoved their phones back into their pockets. I was confused for a moment before I recognized the feeling in their eyes. Their eyes were immediately locked onto me and refused to rip their gaze away from me. I knew it because that was the look I had when I first met Flame Demon: pure lust.

They were hypnotized by my presence. It didn’t matter that this was impossible to believe, that this was a clear cry of danger; they were transfixed upon me and never wanted to look away. I didn’t know if it was the Lust Demon’s doing or mine, but I smirked as I saw myself surrounded with the attention of about twelve admirers . . . and half of them were girls!

The crowd of boys and girls began to move forward, absolutely mesmerized by my appearance. They wanted to touch me, feel my skin against theirs, perhaps even sneak in a kiss. I never had this kind of attention before and admittedly, it felt amazing, like I could have anything I wanted. None of them dared tried to fight for my attention, afraid to provoke me, so they gathered around so they could all have a touch.

There was new glow in their eyes: a heart shape replacing their pupils, practically vibrating as they all approached me with adoring gazes. I didn’t know whether or not to laugh at this or be intrigued. Even though I had all this attention lavished on me now, it didn’t have me wanting them as much as they wanted me. The Lust Demon enjoyed every bit of their adoration and yet it didn’t faze me. I only wanted one person to treat me like this and that was Flame Demon and his warm aura. No one, especially not someone human, could ever replace the void in my heart after he left me.

Kokona was the first one to die.

After she brushed a careful finger against my barely-clothed skin, she immediately collapsed with a painful shriek, finally snapping her out of the spell, but it was too late. Blood pooled around her limp, lifeless body. She was eventually trampled by her hypnotized friends; none of them had heard her scream or even saw her corpse; they were all too mesmerized by me.

I was absolutely horrified. I wanted to call out her name, but my thoughts were interrupted by several more screams of death. Before I knew I could even comprehend it, a pile of corpses surrounded me, all falling prey to my fatal love. Some of them even died with a lovesick smile on their face.

It was all too gory to even think about. From within, the Lust Demon chuckled at all the bloodshed around us.

_Wasn’t that fun, my darling?_

* * *

**The police arrive at school.**

**The police discover the corpses of: Yui Rio, Yuna Hina, Koharu Hinata, Mei Mio, Saki Miyu, Kokona Haruka, Haruto Yuto, Sota Yuki, Hayato Haruki, Ryusei Koki, Sora Sosuke, and Riku Soma.**

**The police are unable to locate any murder weapons.**

**The police could not find any evidence. The police investigation ends and students are free to leave.**

**From inside the demon realm, the Lust Demon willfully leaves Sakura’s body and lets her go free once the police leave. As she leaves the school, Sakura thinks about all of those who died because of her, not noticing a black-haired girl stalking her as she walks home.**


	10. Secret Stalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has been watching Sakura do her dirty work from the shadows.

People have gotten even more paranoid since the deaths that the Lust Demon caused.

It wasn’t just one person that no one had any particular attachment to; it was a whole group of pretty well-known students. Even the teachers have been pretty jumpy lately, and they have been said to have special self-defense training. I didn’t want to pin all the murders on me. It was all the Lust Demon’s fault. She had told me that all she wanted was a little fun and then she completely manipulated me into killing twelve students all with one fatal touch. I didn’t have control over what I did. I wasn’t even sure if what I did was my doing or the Lust Demon’s.

Whatever it was, I refuse to have any more contact with her. Yet I still owed her a lot. I was now one step closer to finding my senpai.

More and more demons have been beckoning themselves to me, asking more gory and horrifying deeds, ones that required a lot more bloodshed and trickery than killing one girl or retrieving a ring. I was no longer sure if what I was doing was right.

Pinning all the crimes I do on my desire for my Flame Demon didn’t seem to console me in any way. If anything, it made me unsure of myself.

What if I was a lot more twisted than I thought I was?

It didn’t matter if what I did was all for love; it all still counted for murder. And now, thirteen students have paid the consequences for it. Thirteen students, who all had family and loved ones who shall never know what truly caused their beloved’s demise, all because of me.

It was still blood on my hands. It was still injustice.

And what would happen if my beloved finds out about what I’ve done? What if he no longer loves me afterwards? The thought of that happening seems preposterous in my heart, knowing how much he loved me so, but now it seems entirely possible.

I’m not even sure if I would love a murderer myself.

* * *

The school atmosphere seemed to dim a lot more when I came to school. An unsettling fog of paranoia has taken over the school hallways and it leeched onto everyone attending it.

The autopsies of the dead students that the Lust Demon killed came back from the police station and what baffled them most was that there seemed to be no sign of damage on the students, almost as if nothing happened to them, other than the fact that they died. It was almost enough to write it off as natural cause. But if twelve students all died at the exact same time in the same room, then calling it a natural cause would only be a fool’s conclusion.

The school’s social butterflies clung onto each other and feared than one of the other students might sneak up of them and stab them in the neck. They gathered themselves into tight-knit groups and prepared to keep themselves safe from harm.

All the students in the martial arts club didn’t want to show the fear resting within them. Instead, they watched everyone with steely gazes, ready to attack anyone who dared tried to harm their school. It was almost like they were hungry wolves, ready for action against any possible criminals (simply saying the word “criminal” seemed to cause a shiver up my spine).

The Photography Club’s students seemed to be most threatening of all. They weren’t settled by the police’s statements on the investigation. They wanted to take matters into their own hands to serve justice to this school. When I passed their club room, I could hear them discussing all the recent suspicious activity in hushed whispers. They even have taken the liberty of setting up a corkboard and filled it up with (my) recent victims’ yearbook photos and possible suspects (which, thankfully, did not include me . . . yet).

All the stress was getting to me. It was even changing me in strange ways. Every now and then, whenever I hear about the students’ deaths, I felt myself twitch involuntarily, like there’s some hostile beast trying to climb their way out of my body. I try to suppress it, but it didn’t take long until people start noticing. Now, I can’t seem to trust myself to be around other people. It’s been hard to get sleep lately, dreams of dying classmates and my Flame Demon being outraged with me haunting me and preventing me from getting any shut-eye. Now I’m cursed with the same dark circles that Oka Ruto has.

And now with the heavy shadows on my face and messy hair, I now finally fit in with the rest of the Occult Club.

* * *

My fellow club members were just as adamant about solving the recent murders as much as the Photography Club was, yet they decided to go about it in a different way.

“There must be . . . some force b-behind . . . all of this,” Oka said shyly. “E-everything happens . . . f-for a reason.”

_Because there are some people sick enough to dispose of innocent people_ , I think darkly to myself.

“I think we should let professionals handle this,” Shin Higaku, the vice president of the club (I finally learned all of their names!) replied. “This kind of stuff is no place for high school students like us.”

“But the police are just letting the perpetrator get away with this!” Daku Atsu cried, crossing his arms stubbornly. “Clearly, they have no idea what they’re doing.”

“As if we know more than they do,” Shin snapped, which was a surprise. “The last thing I want is for one of us to get hurt trying to solve this on our own. Besides, who would trust a bunch of teenagers with a murder investigation?”

“The Photography Club thinks differently,” Supana Churu whispered, barely audible. She and Kokuma Jutsu were the most paranoid out of all of us.

“I agree with Shin,” Chojo Tekina deadpanned with the most unimpressed expression. “There’s no point in getting hurt in something that doesn’t involve us. As for the Photography Club, let them do what they want, they never cared about what we think anyways.”

Oka clasped her hands together like she always did and whispered to the ground, “W-why must t-this . . . be h-happening to u-us? No one . . . did anything wrong. T-this isn’t right . . . it’s not fair.”

Shin placed a comforting hand on Oka’s shoulder, stroking her hair like he was saying something telepathically to her.

“Sakura-chan, you’ve been awfully quiet,” Kokuma said, finally noticing the seventh member off to the side, staring at a bookshelf. “Is there something on your mind?”

What could I say? That I was the true criminal? That the reason I did so much wrong was not because any of the victims deserved but because all I wanted was a man that couldn’t even explain to me why he left in the first place? None of this made sense anymore. None of this was right and yet I kept going deeper and deeper. And even I tried, there was turning back at this point.

The damage was already done. No amount of apology would ever bring back the students I sacrificed. Nothing would ever compensate for my crimes.

“Please, I just don’t feel comfortable discussing murder,” I lied. “We should get back to reading.”

* * *

What had been happening lately, it seems that a surprise would be the last thing I would ever want? But yet, wedged inside of my locker, along with my indoor shoes, was a note scribbled on fancy pink stationery with swirly pink flowers.

The first words written on it made my heart stop.

_I know what you did to Midori Gurin._

Someone knew. Someone knew that I was a murderer. I couldn’t believe it. I swore that no one saw me stab her. Then I remember the two witnesses who saw her corpse: Saki Miyu and Ryusei Koki. But then another detail made my blood run cold: both of them were dead. Those two had already fallen prey to the Lust Demon’s powers.

So then who dares tries and send me this?

I kept on reading it, even though every word I say inside my head sends shivers up and down my spine.

_But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what I saw. I’m actually quite impressed with everything you’ve done._

No way. Someone was interested in what I’ve done to all those students? What kind of sicko would ever feel impressed about so many innocent deaths? I felt sweat trickle down my forehead and I wipe it away quickly before anyone could notice. My eyes flit across the locker room, trying to see if any of my classmates are watching me quake.

_I want to speak with you about your recent activities. Please meet me on the rooftop at 5:00 pm._

I’ll have to skip club activities then if I choose to meet with them. Somehow, that relieves me, knowing that I won’t have to participate in that phony ritual. Yet the last words written on the note chilled me to the bone.

_I hope I’ll see you there_ , the note said almost menacingly.


	11. Ultimatum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura-chan meets another fellow yandere.

Throughout the day, I was drowning in dread, thinking about that note. Someone knew I was a murderer and yet they weren’t afraid of me. What if they knew my crimes were all accidents and wanted to see me writhe in my guilt? What if they were going to use it as blackmail? What kind of high school student would ever want that?

I was being paranoid. If I’m going to go meet this witness, I have to look calm and collected. Maybe intimidate them into keeping this a secret. But I have never intimidated someone in my damn life! How am I supposed to look the part of a dangerous killer when deep down, I know I’m not?

I think about possible suspects as I went to class. Everyone was so spooked by the possibility of a serial killer in school, that they would never try and purposely meet the guilty party without some form of police crew behind them. 

Or maybe that’s they wanted: to lure me into a safe place and trick me into a false sense of security as they call the police.  
I could never imagine any of my classmates being a blackmailer. But there are students here with strange reputations, like Sakyu Basu and her sister Inkyu being rumored to be supernatural beings or everyone in the Occult Club hiding some sort of secret behind their concealed right eyes (I would try to find out why, but lately I’ve been preoccupied with not being arrested). 

But an outright stalker sounded completely abnormal (besides Oka and her spying on the Basu sisters in the morning). Everyone here seemed perfectly harmless.  
Then I remember an old rumor spiraling around school that the boys (and some of the girls) pay for scandalous panty shots of the students, provided by someone only known as Info-chan. They say that Info-chan has eyes on everyone who goes here and knows every dark secret, faculty or student. No one knows her true name. There were speculations about Info-Chan’s true identity (some even suspected Info-chan to be a boy) but no one could ever find her.  
If this supposed Info-chan wasn’t above stalking, voyeurism, and making a profit from it, who’s to say she wasn’t above blackmailing a murderer?

Or maybe it was a student who was beneath that and more. The delinquents that hang out behind the school had a history of stealing, threatening, and fighting innocent bystanders. Maybe they were so full of themselves that they believed they could take down a possible serial killer and exploit them. 

It didn’t help that throughout class, my classmates were discussing serial killer suspects.

“Maybe one of the Occult Club members finally snapped and now are on a rampage trying to find blood sacrifices,” Yui Rio whispered.

“Don’t say that when Daku and Sakura are here!” Shima Shita chastised her, shooting apologetic looks at me and my fellow club member. I simply shrank into my seat when she looked in my direction.

“Most logically it has to be the delinquents,” Haruto Yuto shrugged indifferently. “No one else here can sink that low besides the actual criminals of this school.”

The red-haired girl smirked, which was strange when everyone was on high-alert for their lives. “What if one the Photography Club members did it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Shima snapped. “They’re the ones investigating the whole thing.”

“Isn’t it always the patrollers who end up being the culprits?” Yui said cockily, which made the martial arts student groan and turn her back on her.

“The sooner all of this is over, the sooner I can forget,” Daku whispered to himself.

Once it was 5:00 PM, I left the Occult Club room in search of my witness, just when Oka was about to call for club activities. She was much too timid to make me get back inside and the other members were too indulged in their books.

I went to the rooftop and watched the sky grow more and more orange as the sunset was crawling nearer. I clutched the note in my pocket and decided to stuff it into my bag,   
right where I hid my ritual knife. My knees were shaking as I approached my destination.

This person thinks you’re a murderer, I told myself, might as well act the part for your own safety.

I almost ditched the meeting entirely, waiting too long for my witness as I stood behind the air ventilation unit. But then someone finally approached me. I didn’t really see her come in, more like she appeared here out of thin air. It was almost alarming if I hadn’t been expecting her.

I recognized her: Ayano Aishi, one of the students in the grade above me. She was a quiet person, who preferred to be alone instead of socializing. In fact, I don’t think she has any friends, let alone that person she keeps texting. No one at school ever tried to approach her. Ayano had a reputation for being strange; she often spoke with a deadpan expression and no one had ever heard her laugh. She only ever smiled when she was around Taro Yamada, one of the third-year students. Some people had noticed her carrying   
around strange things like knives and box cutters, or even seen her covered in blood when she was completely uninjured.

“W-were you the one w-who wanted to meet me here?” I said, cursing with myself on the inside for stuttering.

She nodded. “I know what you did to Midori,” she said in the most monotonous voice I ever heard. “And what really happened to all those students in the cafeteria.”

“How did you know that?” I immediately snapped, trying to gain dominance in this conversation.

“I have a very reliable source,” she said cryptically. “She has cameras all around this school. Nothing gets past her.”

I took a few steps back, realizing just how dangerous this girl seemed to be. “Why did you bring me here?”

“I wanted to thank you,” Ayano said, smiling venomously, like she was a snake.

My eyes widened. “W-what, what do you mean?”

“You had just gotten rid of my competition,” the black-haired girl smirked. “I was going to get rid of Kokona Haruka by getting her expelled—I even had the evidence planted and   
everything—but you got rid much quicker with that ritual of yours.”

“You were trying to get rid of Kokona?” I gasped. “But why, she’s such a sweet girl!”

“That’s exactly the point!” she snapped angrily. “She’s a sweet girl with her eyes on my beloved Senpai! I cannot let her seduce him like that!”

That’s when I remembered: Kokona Haruka always talked about Taro Yamada nonstop before she died. I heard her talk to Saki about going to confess to him on Friday. 

“You wanted her to die,” I said slowly. “All because of a boy, do you know how sick that is?”

“Says the girl who murdered Midori Gurin,” Ayano retorted, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t you dare try and say that you are above me, because in my eyes, you and I are the same.” She smiled gently before continuing. “You and I both know what we want—our beloved—and we both know just how to get them.”

“The demon rituals,” I said, still not sure why I haven’t tried to ditch her and run for the hills. “How do you know about them?”

“Remember when you first found that bloody ritual knife?” she said softly. “I was the one who put blood on it.”

“What?” I shrieked. “Whose blood was it?”

“It was only that annoying Musume Ronshaku,” Ayano said nonchalantly. “Trust me, no one liked her. I thought I had lost it for good when I dropped it in the Occult Club, but then I saw you carrying it when you dashed out of school when you killed Midori. I could’ve confronted you about it earlier, but when you killed Kokona for me, I knew that there was no reason to harm you.”

“You’re sick,” was all I could muster after hearing everything Ayano said.

“You’re even sicker,” the black-haired girl retorted, approaching closer and closer. There was a new look in her eyes, one that seemed devoid of any light. “If you don’t want to get arrested, you won’t breathe a word about this anyone.”

As she walked near me, her arms began to twitch a little, similar to how I was during the week. Her head hunched over menacingly as she glared at me poisonously. Her pupils began to dilate and her walk grew slower and yet more threatening. I was trapped. She was getting closer and closer . . .

“Fine, I won’t say anything,” I cried out.

She smiled innocently, like everything that happened beforehand was nothing more than a daydream. “I know what you’ve been doing lately, I know that it’s all for him.”

“Flame Demon,” I whispered.

She nodded. “And I appreciate everything you did. He will be very pleased once the two of you reunite.”

“Do you know what happened to him?” I asked shakily.

Ayano shook her head. “I don’t know much about demons and lore, unfortunately, but I do know that the demons demand very gory sacrifices.”

I nodded. “I know that, in fact the Pain Demon requested me to avenge him using five people. But it’s so horrifying that I don’t know if I could go through with it.”

Ayano threw her head back and laughed like I told a joke instead of informing her about a demonic sacrifice. “Do you really think the lives of five strangers are going to matter   
when your beloved is involved? He might be in serious trouble and going through with this ritual might call upon his captor. You have to make serious choices for love and this is one of them. What’s it going to be: five complete and utter strangers or Flame Demon?”

I look to the floor beneath us and writhed my hands together, almost like what Oka does constantly. “It’s just so . . . disgusting and immoral.”

“You already killed Midori,” Ayano said, tilting her head to the side curiously. “What’s there to lose if you kill more? The damage is already done. If you get your beloved in the end, then it’s proof that it was worth it.”

“Where am I going to find sacrifices, though?” I asked.

“If you ask me, you’re already in a club filled with them,” Ayano shrugged. Then a creepy smile suddenly took over. “In fact, I already know the perfect candidate: Oka Ruto.”

“Oka, why her,” I gasped. I wasn’t very close to Oka—in fact, I don’t anyone is close to Oka other than Shin—but she was so timid and innocent (once you ignored all the stalking   
she’s done).

“She has her eyes set on Senpai as well,” Ayano said creepily. “And if you through with this, then you would be helping both of us. Two birds with one stone, as my mother always said.”

“And if I don’t?” I said, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.

“Then you know what happens to murderers,” Ayano said lightheartedly with a threatening undertone. “You have a choice here, Sakura-chan, either do the ritual and find your senpai, or let justice be done and never see him or this school again.”

Her smile was the last thing I saw before she vanished.


	12. Painful Deeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura-chan proves how strong her love is.

It was incredibly wrong and even more so gruesome. But if Ayano taught me anything, it’s that some things are worth it for love.

Besides, all these students here were only mere humans. My senpai was a demon. Clearly, he has to be worth more. And it’s not like anyone would truly miss the Occult Club. They were all demon-worshipping creeps who would surely love the idea of being sacrificed. The only ones who would mourn them would be their families, whom they barely even mention. Flame Demon means more to me than any of them did.

I have to do this. I will do this.

I’ll show Ayano I’m not weak. I’ll show her I am someone worth being feared. Once she sees what I am capable of, there’s no doubt that I will change in her eyes. No way will she threaten me afterwards. Because not only I have the demons’ will in my hands, I also know her secret. I know who she truly is and what she is: a monster. Imagine her beloved’s face if I ever tell him. She should be afraid of me.

Once this ritual is over with, she certainly will be.

* * *

I needed a couple things before doing the task the Pain Demon requested from me.

First, I needed a way to sever the arms off of five people. It sounded horrifying, yes, but after my experience, I am no longer fazed by the idea. I found what I needed in the Gardening Club’s shed: a circular saw. The Gardening Club’s members surely won’t miss this. I quickly learned how to activate it and tested it on some innocent tree branches, just to get the hang of it. Hacking off limbs would surely be difficult.

My trusty ritual knife was where it always was. It was dry on blood but once this ritual was over, I’ll have enough blood to last a lifetime. It sounded sick but it was something necessary.

Betraying the Occult Club sounded certainly immoral but it’s not like I was ever really friends with them. I only joined them so I could be closer to my senpai. And I was sure that none of them were really attached to me. And I wasn’t killing an innocent kitten; I was slaughtering a bunch of Satanist worshippers. In fact, this might be a favor towards the school in general. An Occult Club was definitely something no one wanted. Perhaps this would benefit more than just me and Ayano.

Yes, I needed to kill Oka in order to please Ayano.

The girl was definitely strange and some might even say creepy. Her presence reminded everyone of a ghost: barely there and not worth paying attention to. No one would miss her.

I needed Ayano’s silence more than I needed Oka.

* * *

I waited in the Occult Club for everyone to arrive at lunch time. All of the members promptly sat down in their chairs and pulled out their books while Oka stood in the middle of the pentagram carpet, cupping her hands together. I made sure the doors were carefully shut before I did my dirty deeds.

No one noticed me pulling out my knife.

Even though I made the choice long before I grabbed the necessary equipment, I still hesitated as I approached my unsuspecting victims. There was still a chance to run away and forget any of this happened.

_They wouldn’t matter to anyone._

_Stab them already; it’s necessary to please the Pain Demon._

_No one would miss them._

With one quick slash, I plunged the dagger into the throat of Daku Atsu first.

Everyone immediately leapt up at the sound of my classmate shrieking in pain and collapsing on the floor. All the other members dropped their books and stared in shock as their friend limped to floor. Their eyes dilated even more when they saw me holding the knife, stained with his blood; me, their trusted club member, betraying them, intentions clear.

I dashed over to Chojo Tekina before he could flee the room. He almost left the room before collapsing into a pool of blood on the floor. Supana Churu was next to die, not even able to spit out her last words. Kokuma died seconds after.

“I swear I won’t tell anyone what I saw,” I heard Oka shout, her hands clasped together in a display of pleading mercy. “Just please don’t hurt me!” Those were the last words she ever uttered. Her blood was the most valuable.

“No!” I heard Shin shout.

Before I could expect it, he suddenly rushed up to me, an expression of anger on his face, collided with grief and shock and confusion as well. He wasn’t usually so strong. I expected him to flee but apparently seeing Oka die was enough for him. Perhaps someone really did care about Oka. But that certainly wouldn’t stop me. Fueled by bitter anger, Shin gotten surprisingly strong, much more than he was usually capable of and it was a real shock. I always saw him getting intimidated by the male delinquents outside of school but now he seems just as strong as them. Either this was something he’s always hidden or perhaps Oka’s death finally caused him to snap.

It was difficult, yes, but I finally managed to sink my weapon into Shin’s skull. He died with his eyes wide open, horrified and shocked. Surrounding me were several innocent students, all dead. Inside my chest, my heart was thrumming like crazy, no longer steady but instead wild and vibrating against my ribs. Every moment or so, my arms would twitch and shake.

I have become what I fear most: a ruthless killer, a disgusting criminal, a monster. Nothing I could do would ever redeem me. But all I needed was Flame Demon in my arms again and all would be good for me.

Here came the gruesome part of the ritual: dismembering everyone. As it turns out, slicing through bone and flesh was incredibly hard, even with something as sharp as a power saw. But eventually, I divided each and every member up into pieces: arms, legs, torso, and head. All I really needed were the arms. I collected all of the limp and lifeless arms and threw them into the center of the pentagram, surrounded by the luminescent candles.

When I stood in the center, the blood staining my shoes and everything, a whoosh of black smoke emerged from beneath me and a familiar voice echoed in my ears.

“Revenge . . . at last,” the Pain Demon whispered hoarsely.

Suddenly, I rose several feet in the air, gravity no longer binding me. All the color faded from my vision as the spirit of the Pain Demon bound with mine, filling me with his power. With a sharp whoosh, a pale chalky white arm about the size of an average student sprung from where each candle stood, almost as transparent as a ghost. Sharp red nails adorned each one, ten in total, all surrounding me in a circle.

Power surged through me once again, like a strong and powerful electrical current springing me to life despite all the death that surrounded me. I could do almost anything. But in order to please the Pain Demon, I must perform his task and do what he wants: get revenge.

Since Lust Demon’s ritual, I had gotten the hang of levitating. It was almost like walking, except less strenuous. I floated my way out of the Occult Club and headed for the roof. I wasn’t sure if this sudden bloodlust was mine or Pain Demon’s, but now it felt like there was no border separating us anymore. We were now and one and the same. My will wasn’t mine to control anymore, only Pain Demon could use my arms and my newfound powers. I was only there to do his bidding and watch.

Sakyu and Inkyu Basu ate lunch together as usual, since the two of them were practically inseparable. When I finally approached them, ten ghost-like arms in tow, covered in blood, with empty eyes, and twitching like crazy, the two of them shrieked in unison before succumbing to my power. With one vicious swipe, the arms that surrounded me clawed the two sisters apart, sending their dismembered limbs flying everywhere, splattering blood on the bench they sat on. Pieces of the sisters’ hair were still glued onto their fingers, adhered to them with sticky blood.

Kuu Dere, who normally sat down on another bench and read her books in peace, heard the cries and sat up to see the two sisters reduced to nothing more than a pile of blood and limbs. For the first time, I have seen her witness emotion: fear.

But before she could flee the rooftop, Pain Demon beckoned me forward and my arms attacked her, sending her to the very same fate.

“Now they shall all know what I have felt,” the Pain Demon whispered in my head.

* * *

**The police arrive at school.**

**The police discover the bodies of Daku Atsu, Chojo Tekina, Supana Churu, Kokuma Jutsu, Oka Ruto, Shin Higaku, Sakyu Basu, Inkyu Basu, and Kuu Dere.**

**The police were unable to locate any murder weapons. The police do not have enough evidence to perform an arrest. The police investigation ends and students are free to leave.**

**Once again not present during the investigation, Sakura-chan releases the Pain Demon from her body and exits the demon realm.**

**Before she leaves school, Sakura presents Ayano with the evidence of Oka’s death. Pleased, Ayano pledges her silence and the two of them make a pact to never speak of this again.**


	13. Descending into Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura reunites with her senpai, along with someone else.

With how dismal and paranoid the atmosphere the air had become at Akademi High, it made me wonder if once Flame Demon and I have reunited, would I really enjoy going back to school with more than fifteen people dead and their memory still floating around the air.

Huh, the more I think about it, I haven’t thought about Flame Demon in a while.

Of course, his memory still wraps me up in warm excitement, but lately, the reasons and motivations behind my crimes seem to blur into one big haze. With all the blood that is spilled on my hands, all the fear that is elicited from my wrongdoings, all the power I gain from the rituals, I nearly have forgotten why I’ve been doing all of it: for my Flame Demon.

Worse, sometimes I forget about all the little things I loved most about him: his luscious voice, his warm aura, the downcast look in his eyes, the way his fire surrounded me with heated tendrils of passion, have all become nothing more than little vague wisps in my memory.

Now all that seemed to matter was to gain power from the demon rituals.

So then what was the point of any of this?

* * *

With only one sole member left alive after the massacre, of course the Occult Club had to be shut down. The doors were locked shut by the Headmaster, despite my pleas. I was now shut off from the gateway to the demonic realm.

Perhaps I should’ve thought about that as I murdered my fellow club members.

I must’ve looked absolutely stupid as I stood in front of the locked Occult Club, trying to jiggle the lock with whatever I could find: hairpins, butter knives, even my precious ritual knife, thinking it might also function as a key. I ended up clutching the doorknobs in frustration, hitting my head against the door repeatedly in shame.

“Damn door, locking me out,” I muttered. “Keeping me away from Flame Demon; why didn’t I think of that when I killed the Occult Club? Of course the Headmaster would close the club: how stupid of me not to think of that.”

After everything I’ve done, I can’t believe I get defeated by the Headmaster closing the club.

“I just need to force my way in there,” I whispered to myself. “Oh, why I couldn’t I have retained my demon powers—“

_Sakura-chan, can you hear me?_

The surprise of a second voice caused me to flinch back from the door and I ended up toppling backwards and landing on the floor.

My eyes darted around the hallway, trying to locate the source of the sound. But it was completely empty except for me. Worst of all, the voice sounded so eerily familiar. But where I have heard it before?

_Sakura, I don’t have much time. You have to get in there._

No, it couldn’t be.

_Sakura, please my darling, you have to save me._

This is impossible . . . Flame Demon left me a long time ago. How could he be talking to me? I’m going crazy—something must be taking over me—my sanity must’ve depleted ages ago.

 _Get out of my head_ , I said to myself, trying to converse with my inner insanity. _You’re not Flame Demon. You could never be Flame Demon. Face it, I can never find him again. All of this was for nothing._

_Sakura-chan, how could you say that? I thought you would recognize me after so long._

My eyes widened once I knew what was happening. This couldn’t be—he was inside my head?

_Flame Demon, I’d never thought I would hear your voice again! You’re really back this time?_

_Not for long_ , his voice echoed inside me.

_How could you leave me like that? If you could’ve talked to me this whole time, I wouldn’t have done the things I’ve done in order to find you! Do you know how crazy I’ve gotten since you vanished?_

_You have to understand, he pleaded with me. It wasn’t my choice to leave you. When I began to get involved with you, the demon who bestowed me my power became furious with me. He warned me not to see you but then you came back and then—_

_What? What happened?_ I kept trying to peel for more information.

_I’m afraid I can’t say. But you need to return to the demon realm at once!_

_But the Headmaster shut down the Occult Club_ , I thought with all my might. _I can’t get in._

 _Sakura, just get up and place your hands on the lock_ , Flame Demon ordered me. _I’ll do the rest. Let’s hope I can do this long enough._

Hesitantly, I got back up and clasped my hands over the doorknob. I didn’t know what was happening or what was Flame Demon planning to do. But it has been so long since I’ve heard his voice. I almost forgot how weak in the knees he made me.

Suddenly, a sharp spark of heat formed underneath my fingers. I looked to my hands and saw fire form from beneath my hands, scorching the lock and reducing it to ash. And yet, my hands remained unharmed from the ordeal. I yanked my hands back and watched as the doorknob crumble into dust and fade away. The doors creaked open, revealing the club room which I have nearly forgotten.

 _What did you do?_ I asked him inside my head.

There was no response. His voice simply faded away from me once again. I took out the ritual knife from my bag. After performing the Pain Demon’s ritual, the blade was soaked with the blood of all my former club members.

Tentatively, I placed it into the skull on the table and let myself be engulfed with the purple smoke.

My feet finally hit the floor of the demon realm.

Endless darkness surrounded me, burying me in cloak of blackness. Heat seemed to fill the air, which was strange, since I always remembered the demon realm being so cold and lifeless. Now I could feel myself sweating from the intensity of the temperature.

“H-hello,” I managed to stammer out. The Lust Demon and the Pain Demon seemed to have disappeared from their usual spot. What happened? Suddenly, I saw a bright light emanate from the center of the room. I walked towards it, slowly and carefully, afraid of what was to come.

“S-Sakura,” a voice rasped heavily. I recognized it immediately.

“Flame Demon,” I whispered.

But before I could approach him, a ghastly cold hand grabbed me from behind and yanked me into the shadows.


	14. All is Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura learns who has been in between her and Flame Demon all this time.

Sharpened claws dug through my pink tendrils of hair as I was pulled away from my beloved and dragged into unimaginable depths of darkness. I was trying to scream out Flame Demon’s name as hard as I could but a gnarled hand was clamped over my face, obscuring my view and filling my mouth with a sharp taste of lead.

I felt tears slip past my eyelids as I descended deeper and deeper into wherever my captor was taking me. 

After so long of being alone, of feeling trapped by my sins and mistakes with no one to confide in or comfort me, I was finally able to see the only one who ever understood me, made me feel complete and fulfilled . . . and then he was taken from me again.

Why? That was the only question I wanted to ask.

After pushing myself for so long, forced to keep myself sane as my peers tried to prove me a murderer, why was this person trying to separate me from my beloved? Was it a test? Some sort of cruel game made to drive me insane? A punishment for all my transgressions, justice for everyone I harmed and maimed for my senpai?

Well, all I know was that this person succeeded. They succeeded in breaking my heart.

Finally, after what seemed like forever spiraling into pitch-black bleakness, my feet found themselves standing on solid ground. The arms that ensnared me released my body from their grasp, letting me collapse onto the floor in a breathless heap.

Their grasp was so rough and suffocating that I found little slits on my limbs and collarbone, right where my captor sunk their claws into me. To my horror, I saw that chunks of my hair was ripped from me as well; my once lengthy pale pink hair—which Flame Demon admired so much—now that jagged edges and rough pieces missing.

My pale green gaze drifted upwards to meet contact with my captor, and it infuriated me to see pastel pink strands dangling in between their claws.

I couldn’t discern whether or not the being was male or female and could only see a snatch of pale white skin and thin lips from beneath their hooded cloak. Other than that, only their bony arms were exposed, revealing sharp claws that were about as long as my arms—and still possessed pieces of my hair dangling from them.

“W-who are you?” I asked, rising up from the floor, not sure whether or not to attack unarmed or flee into the depths of the demon realm without any aid on where to go.

“That is none of your concern,” the demon replied dismissively, speaking in a monotonous voice that wasn’t too far off from Ayano’s. “Just like the Flame Demon.”

“What do you know about me and Flame Demon?” I snapped, narrowing my eyes at my captor. They were definitely involved in what was separating me and my beloved.

“I know everything that has been happening between you two,” the demon responded chillingly, their voice rasping down my spine in a menacing way. “I know about your foolish   
attempts at a childish love affair—and the idea of you trying to woo a demon was even more hilarious.”

Seething anger pulsed from beneath my skin; it was admittedly very hard to convince myself not to attack the demon before me. They were a powerful demon equipped with   
who-knows-what kind of magic and I was a schoolgirl without even my ritual knife with me. But taking them down sounded so satisfying after mocking me and the Flame   
Demon’s love.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” I coughed out, attempting to find the strength to stand up. My legs felt like they were nothing more than useless noodles after being literally dragged through hell. “You were the one who has been separating me from my beloved.”

The demon let out a sinister, almost pitiful, laugh. “It looks like mortals do possess a form of basic common sense,” they chuckled mockingly. Their eyes narrowed after that statement. “I have bequeathed the Flame Demon his power so I have every right to take it away from him. Once I saw that he was trying to attempt a relationship with you, I cut him off from his source of human souls and gave him the chance to redeem himself once he finally broke off his connection to you. But you were so foolishly clingy that I had no choice but to sap away his demon powers. Once another weeks passes, all that is tying him to the demon realm will vanish, and he will cease to exist.”

My breath caught in my throat and it was so hard to utter another word without bursting into tears of defeat. “B-but why?” was all I managed to stammer. “Why are you doing this?”

They chuckled again, their laugh tainted with even more disdain and mockery. “When the Flame Demon ascended into demon-hood, he lost every shred of his being that tied him to the human world, including the irrational feeling that you mortals call ‘love.’ But you and your disgusting temptress ways interfered with that, and he has regained that filthy human emotion that he was supposed to abandon several centuries ago! It was either let my charge redeem himself for his immoral actions or let him suffer through that spell you cast on him.”

“That wasn’t a spell!” I cried. “It was called love!”

My captor only scoffed. “Demons cannot fall in love. It’s not in our nature. We are far more advanced to let ourselves wallow in such frivolous melodrama that humans call ‘love.’ I was only getting rid of what was unnatural.”

“Your pettiness is what’s unnatural!” I shouted, no longer restraining myself. “Why couldn’t you just let him be happy with me?”

“Love can never make someone happy,” they replied bluntly. “Love can only make a person weaker.”

I approached the demon that faced me. “What can I do? What I can do to make it stop? What would make you release him from his pain?”

Flame Demon’s imprisoner chuckled. “You have to do what you should’ve done ages ago: leave him behind. Go back to your world and forget you ever stumbled upon this place.   
Forget you ever met the Flame Demon . . . and forget that you ever fell in love.”

“I could never do that!” I shouted. “How could I ever forget him after he made me love for the first time? You don’t understand what it’s like to be in love, how unforgettable it is   
and how alive it makes you feel. And I know that Flame Demon would rather die right now than to live a thousand more years without me.”

“Then it looks we shall let him die right now,” the demon replied bleakly. They raised their arms above their head to teleport away, but I stopped them from leaving.

“Can’t I work out a deal?” I cried, desperate to let the Flame Demon live.

They turned towards me, almost curious. After waiting in unbearable silence, they answered me with an unkind smirk on their face.

“We shall duel then,” they announced in a playful tone. “If you win, I shall reunite you with your beloved and leave you in peace. If you lose . . . your soul will be mine.”


	15. Binded for Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura finally earned the happy ending she and Flame Demon deserves.

The first strike the demon makes quickly sends me to my knees.

Flame Demon’s imprisoner slams their foot into the ground, causing the ground beneath me to rumble, almost like an earthquake, and a shockwave of deep blue disorients me, making it hard to get up. The muscles in my legs and arms seem to give out the moment their attack makes contact with me.

Even though their face is heavily obscured, I could see a faint sinister smile form from beneath my enemy’s hood.

“Hurting an unarmed mortal almost seems a bit brutal, don’t you think?” they taunt me as I struggled to get back up on my knees, pain rippling in my limbs. “The most logical thing you can do is withdraw before I issue out permanent damage.”

A cough spluttered out of my throat once I find myself back on my feet, still a little shaky. “That’s the last thing I intend to do. I’m not leaving without ensuring Flame Demon’s freedom.”

The demon before me chuckled in response. “You are the one who caused his imprisonment, with you and your unearthly charms. He was much safer and happier without you. What makes you think he will forgive you for putting him through such torture?”

“Because he loves me,” I cry, lunging forward, hands out in order to rip the hood off the one who hurt my beloved.

Suddenly, I was pushed back with even more force, my adversary sending out another beam of exploding energy, which threw me back in the opposite direction, slamming me against the floor and knocking out all the breath in my chest. The pain was the equivalent of someone crushing my ribcage. When my vision cleared up again, I saw that there was already blood spilling out my mouth. I started coughing violently, which ended up staining my uniform with scarlet-colored stains.

I could practically hear the pitiful smirk in the demon’s voice as they called out to me. “Where’s your beloved now? What can he do to save you now?”

I started crawling towards my enemy again, the only thing keeping me from passing out on the floor is the thought of Flame Demon and I reunited again, he holding me in his warm embrace and the smell of his burning flames comforting me.

Then I was suddenly ripped off the ground with an invisible force. When I looked down, I saw that my feet were dangling at least a meter above the floor and yet nothing seemed to be suspending me in the air. My throat began to close up, like someone was closing their hands around my neck and squeezing the air out of it. Invisible chains wrapped around my body, intent on crushing every single bone inside of me.

It wasn’t until my lime green eyes met the hooded demon’s concealed ones did I realize that they were the one doing so. Their fingers were splayed out in front of me, rippling with blue energy and suspending me in the air. Their power was enveloping me with bone-crushing force.

I began to splutter and cough again and blood poured out my throat, drenching my neck and ruining the collar of my shirt. My bones felt ready to pop under all this immense pressure the demon was putting my body through and for a moment, it felt like I deserved it.

I imagined all the blood I spilled when I collecting sacrifices for the Flame Demon. The ear-splitting screams my victims cried out when I accidentally killed them, the devastated expressions of all their friends when they heard that their dearest had died under mysterious circumstances, the fear that lurked through the halls of Akademi High because of me, and all of the lost people who will never be fully avenged.

It was all because of me.

Maybe for a moment, I can accept this. I can accept that if I do die, no one will mourn me because they will know of what I did. I could even accept that perhaps Flame Demon might be happier without me. After all, it was my persistent stubbornness that kept him from being free. Dying might not be bad at all.

_Sakura, don’t leave me._

Whose voice was that?

_You’re the only good thing that ever happened to me after I lost my parents._

Flame Demon? Why would you still love me? Haven’t you seen everything I’ve done? Realized everything I put you through? I don’t deserve someone like you. I never did.

_If you die, I will continue to lose my essence until I disappear off the face of the Earth forever with nothing to remember me. You have to rise up against them. You have to save me._

Look at me. I’m a horrible wreck. And what’s worst, I’m a mortal faced off with a powerful demon. What can I do at this point?

_All you have to do is remember that I need you far more than you would ever need me. That should do something._

I almost thought he was being ridiculous. That he was preaching about the power of love to someone who was about to die at the invisible hands of a cloaked demon. What felt even stranger was that he would talk about the power of love when he was a demon with the power to incinerate things with his hands. Maybe he making a futile attempt to inspire me as I die would be comforting.

But then just as I was 100% sure that I was going to die right then and there, something snapped the invisible chains that ensnared my body. The cloaked demon let out a shocked gasp as I collapsed on the floor. I opened my eyes to see that I could move my fingers, with my own free will instead of being twisted into dust by the cloaked demon’s mind powers.

“WHAT?” they shrieked as they witnessed me rising up above the floor, but instead of by their own accord, it was by the sheer force of love. My skin radiated with a glowing red aura of heat and healed my former wounds, sealing them up like they were mere stains.

My pink hair came to life as well, spraying out in all directions, the tips forming flaming edges like they were lit ablaze. My eyes widened to see that my skin glowed with blazing fire and yet still remained whole and un-scorched.

What the hell?

The cloaked demon before me simmered with rage as they set their gaze on me and my revived strength.

“How did you get free?” they shrieked and it was then I realized that they were not talking to me, but to Flame Demon. He was bonded to my spirit, just like the Lust Demon and the Pain Demon.

His deep rich voice ended up spilling out of my throat and it felt both strange and exhilarating being bonded to him like this. It was official; we couldn’t get any closer than this. “My love for Sakura ended up being so much stronger than any of your power-depriving chains could bind me. Once I was free and regained my strength when Sakura was in danger, all I needed to do was remind her how much we loved each other in order to bind ourselves together and save her from dying,” he proclaimed.

The cloaked demon remained disgusted.

“I am much stronger than anything mere puppy love can conjure.”

“It’s not just puppy love,” I cried and I was surprised to see that Flame Demon allowed me accesses my own mouth. We both shared control, unlike the Lust Demon and Pain Demon, who ripped me away from my free will to get revenge.

Flame Demon responded as well, and soon enough it was clear we were sharing the same body. “If you wish to see how well you would fare against our love, then commence our fight.”

The shadowy demon approached us fiercely, unfazed by our burning aura of passion and desire.

“Attack me with all you might,” the cloaked demon hissed as they lunged forward at us, sheathed in spirals of deep blue energy.

We immediately retaliated by flying forward towards them, radiating with pure flames and the moment we made contact with each other, my vision blurred and everything turned white.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see myself sprawled on the floor, my skin singed with black marks that hurt like hell and my uniform charred in certain areas. Parts of my hair were torn off in jagged angles and it didn’t take long for me to start coughing up blood again.

“My darling Sakura,” Flame Demon’s silky voice warmed my ears as he spoke to me, reaching a glowing hand to caress my scorched face. “I was almost sure you would never wake up.”

“What happened?” I hoarsely coughed out. Blood still dribbled down my throat but the pain seemed to vanish now that Flame Demon was touching me once more.

“We won,” he whispered triumphantly and then I was finally able to see the charred bits of cloak that remained from Flame Demon’s old master that fluttered in the air like falling leaves. “I’m free and now there’s nobody to tell us we can’t be together.”

“Does that mean?” I gasped, unable to finish my sentences.

“I love you, Sakura,” he responded with a gentle smile and he enveloped me in his warm flames, finally able to kiss him again.

How I missed such a feeling: the feeling of pure desire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the conclusion of Burning Love 2: Flames of Desire. Hopefully, I'll be able to tackle another story for this fandom sometime soon.


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